The T5 Q&a Thread

[uscgbeachbum]

I have a question. I will be building a 36" long x 24" wide x 20" tall tank with 3" of eurobracing all around. I was considering the 4x39w setup since the front and back of the tank will have the eurobracing. I'm sure that it will attenuate the light making the front and back bulbs for brightness only (I think). I'd also want 3" clearance from eurobracing to the bulb which would make the bulbs ~ 5" off the water. This will be a softy only tank. I could do the Icecap ballasts if necessary. Although I think that the 4 bulb Icecap setup comes with 2 660s, correct? I thought that a single 660 could power 4x39w by itself.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I wouldn't overdrive. I personally would go 6 lamps but 4 should work.

 

[SlavicSavage]

I am trying to figure out how I want to light my 36"x18"x24" 65 gallon. I am going to retrofit my lighting into a 16" canopy and currently I have a Coralife 150watt HQI Aqualight and an IceCap660 ballast I can incorporate into my lighting scheme.

What I was thinking was either getting a second IceCap ballast and some individual reflectors and putting 8 T5 Lamps with individual reflectors into the canopy OR buying a second 150watt HQI and doing 2x150watt HQIs and 4 T5HO (still with individual reflectors) supplimental bulbs.

I intend on having a mixed reef with mostly LPS but also some SPS, clams, zoas and softies. I love MH, mostly for the shimmer it provides, but it sounds like people are having good luck growing clams and SPS under T5HO so I am not sure what to go with.

Some specific questions I have, in addition to just wondering what opinions people have as to how they would light a 65, are:

Using IceCap individual t5 reflectors, how many bulbs could I fit over my 65 in the canopy?

How good is the penetration of T5 lighting, and will I be able to place clams and SPS deep in the 24" tank and still have good growth out of them?

A friend of mine recommended going with a second IceCap 660 and overdriving 4 or 6 bulbs instead of running 8, or if I went with halides just having 2 or 3 T5s and overdriving those too. WHat does overdriving do to the bulbs/ballast and what positive or negative effects does it have on the overall light output or integrity of the equipment?

Finally, I am doing a mag18 return pump in a 20gallon high sump right now, which is going to generate some heat. This is making me consider leaning toward T5s so I can stay away from heat issues as much as possible because I have no way to have a chiller as they are cost prohibitive and I am setting this up in a fairly small college apartment. I have been considering switching the 20high out for a 29 gallon as my sump, especially since I have not yet decided on a skimmer and could always just find one to do internally in the 29 as easily as externally plumed outside of the 20h. This would give me additional water volume in the sump for such a large return which might be a good thing to have.

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[ron101]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10120546#post10120546 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
I wouldn't overdrive. I personally would go 6 lamps but 4 should work.

Why not overdrive? Less equipment cost and fewer lamps to replace. Im assuming, however, that lamp life would be reduced.

Im trying to decide between the 4xVHO vs the 6xHO T5 setups from Reefgeek for my 90gal.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10120663#post10120663 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SlavicSavage
I am trying to figure out how I want to light my 36"x18"x24" 65 gallon. I am going to retrofit my lighting into a 16" canopy and currently I have a Coralife 150watt HQI Aqualight and an IceCap660 ballast I can incorporate into my lighting scheme.

What I was thinking was either getting a second IceCap ballast and some individual reflectors and putting 8 T5 Lamps with individual reflectors into the canopy OR buying a second 150watt HQI and doing 2x150watt HQIs and 4 T5HO (still with individual reflectors) supplimental bulbs.

I intend on having a mixed reef with mostly LPS but also some SPS, clams, zoas and softies. I love MH, mostly for the shimmer it provides, but it sounds like people are having good luck growing clams and SPS under T5HO so I am not sure what to go with.

Some specific questions I have, in addition to just wondering what opinions people have as to how they would light a 65, are:

Using IceCap individual t5 reflectors, how many bulbs could I fit over my 65 in the canopy?

How good is the penetration of T5 lighting, and will I be able to place clams and SPS deep in the 24" tank and still have good growth out of them?

A friend of mine recommended going with a second IceCap 660 and overdriving 4 or 6 bulbs instead of running 8, or if I went with halides just having 2 or 3 T5s and overdriving those too. WHat does overdriving do to the bulbs/ballast and what positive or negative effects does it have on the overall light output or integrity of the equipment?

Finally, I am doing a mag18 return pump in a 20gallon high sump right now, which is going to generate some heat. This is making me consider leaning toward T5s so I can stay away from heat issues as much as possible because I have no way to have a chiller as they are cost prohibitive and I am setting this up in a fairly small college apartment. I have been considering switching the 20high out for a 29 gallon as my sump, especially since I have not yet decided on a skimmer and could always just find one to do internally in the 29 as easily as externally plumed outside of the 20h. This would give me additional water volume in the sump for such a large return which might be a good thing to have.

Thanks in advance for your input!

You can only fit 6 lamps. I would overdrive 4 on the 660 and grab a 2 lamp Tek retro from reefgeek upgraded to IC reflectors and use that for your Dusk/dawn lighting. 4 overdriven and 2 regular driven lamps will give you plenty of light for what you want to do. Running a couple fans blowing across the endcaps will keep the temp in hand.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10120859#post10120859 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ron101
Why not overdrive? Less equipment cost and fewer lamps to replace. Im assuming, however, that lamp life would be reduced.

Im trying to decide between the 4xVHO vs the 6xHO T5 setups from Reefgeek for my 90gal.

Less power used, less heat produced. Besides if you place anything but clams and acros under the lamps ain't gonna be a happy thing.

 

[WarEagleNR88]

I searched through the 8 splits of the monster T5 thread, and I could not find anyone talking about this. First some background:

I want to run 2x24W T5/HO bulbs on my 20G long aquarium. Currently it houses soft corals and I may venture into a few LPS species (Euphyllia) if the light will sustain them. It currently uses a 1x55/65W Power compact combo bulb that is near the end of its life. It uses a Fulham Workhorse 3 Ballast. I do not want to overdrive the T5, and I do not want to use the WH3--because it's an instant start. Instead my plan is to use a programmed start ballast with EOL protection. The bulbs will use IceCap SLRs, and they will be one Aquablue 12000K and one Blue Plus made by ATI. I want to put a switch on the hot wire to control the daylight bulb for days I want to simulate a cloudy day--hence my problem.

The GE UltraStart T5 ballast would be perfect for my situation. It is a parallel ballast that can power T5/HO bulbs. However, the GE ballast is for F54T5/HO bulbs. Can I power my 2x24W bulbs with this ballast? If so, will it cause any issues? The price is cheaper than the specific F24T5/HO ballast--the Advance Programmed Start - Electronic Fluorescent Ballast. But that ballast runs the bulbs in series which will not give me the capability to turn one bulb off. Or will it?

I'm at my limit on this type of electrical circuit. I don't know if you can wire a series ballast into two parallel circuits? If you do, how does that affect the life of the ballast? Does this F54T5/HO GE ballast have any issues with powering the lower wattage 2x24W T5/HO bulbs? Again, I do not want to overdrive the bulbs. Thanks ahead of time.

Here's a fact sheet about the GE UltraStart T5 Ballast.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Honestly for what you want to do I would just run a workhorse. The "real" T5 ballasts with end of life protection aint gonna let you shut down a lamp, the EOL protection circuit will see that as a failed lamp and shut down.

 

[stevedola]

what about the sylvania ballasts?

 

[WarEagleNR88]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10121156#post10121156 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
Honestly for what you want to do I would just run a workhorse. The "real" T5 ballasts with end of life protection aint gonna let you shut down a lamp, the EOL protection circuit will see that as a failed lamp and shut down.

If I use a WH ballast, what does that do to the life of the bulb? If I use the WH ballast and it reduces the life significantly, then I may want to just suck it up and either get two GE ballasts to separately power the bulbs or use one and lose the capability to shut one off. Any thoughts on this?

Do the two bulbs sound like a good selection?

Thanks for your help, grim. It seems as though you are the grim authority on these T5s.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10121303#post10121303 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stevedola
what about the sylvania ballasts?

Do you have a link for the Sylvania ballasts?

 

[champscorner]

thanks!!!

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Sylvania ballasts are fine.

As far as Workhorse ballasts its hard to say. They will cut down on lamp life but its a guess as to how much. For industrial purposes its 25% but we don't run our lamp nearly as long so i'd say maybe 10%.

 

[SlavicSavage]

Why get the tek retrofit from reefgeeks and not just buy an icecap 430, reflectors, and endcaps seperately and then i'm not paying for the tek reflectors I wont be using? Also, I work at a LFS so buying stuff parted out might be a lot cheaper for me since I can get the individual stuff wholesale (although, sadly for retailers, not that much cheaper since sunlight supply is one of our wholesalers and their price to us is only marginally cheaper than the internet)

Also, I know nothing about bulbs. What would you suggest I get for my 6 bulbs on my 65? I like my tanks visually to be pretty crisp white but with a hint bit of blue so give that feeling of being underwater and so the corals and fishes colors really pop and floresce nicely.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Reefgeek does an upgrade to Ice Cap reflectors for 2 bux per reflector so you aren't buying the Tek reflectors. Just price everything out and see how you come out better

As far as lamps Try this

Front
Blue Plus
Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
Aquablue
GE 6500K
Blue Plus

That mix wont be as blue as you might guess going by the lamp names.

 

[Dyngoe]

T5+Halogen?

T5+Halogen?

Hey Grim (and others),

I LOVE my T5 setup but I'm starting to miss my MH "shimmer". No buyers remorse. A friend suggested that a halogen lamp might help, so I put my shop light over my tank for just a moment to see the affect. WOW! Instant shimmer. And, bright yellow color. So, I was thinking of using some small desk-sized halogen lights with their blue or crisp white bulbs for accent to my T5s. I'm thinking 2x10w, one in each corner to just get that "shimmer". Do you see any problems with this?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Not sure you will see the shimmer unless you use either a very strong output lamp or one of a different color. I cant see any problem as long as it works

 

[Yinepu]

Hi Grim.. I asked this in another thread and I think it's getting lost in the shuffle... this is for regular NO fluorescents:

My light fixture holds 6 48" bulbs. The bulbs I currently have were in the fixture (used) when I bought it. I'm going to go get new bulbs this weekend and I was wondering what everyone recommends. The bulbs I have now are not marked. There are two "pink" (maybe color enhancing?) one purple, one blue and two white. There isn't enough blue in the lights for my tastes.. any recommendations? And any idea what kind of bulb the purple one could be? (UV maybe?)

I am thinking about a mix of actinics and 10,000K bulbs but I'm not sure how many of each I should get... or if I should consider other bulbs instead.

This would be for fish, softies and a few LPS in a 75 gallon tank..

Can you give me some advice on this? And if anyone else has suggestions I would love to hear them as well...

Thanks!

 

[Cinderblock]

What about for sps coral propagation? I am starting a tank that is 24w x 48l x 12h. Are the aquatinic solar flares with six T5's the one to go with? Or is the a fixture that is the one?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10129240#post10129240 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Yinepu
Hi Grim.. I asked this in another thread and I think it's getting lost in the shuffle... this is for regular NO fluorescents:

My light fixture holds 6 48" bulbs. The bulbs I currently have were in the fixture (used) when I bought it. I'm going to go get new bulbs this weekend and I was wondering what everyone recommends. The bulbs I have now are not marked. There are two "pink" (maybe color enhancing?) one purple, one blue and two white. There isn't enough blue in the lights for my tastes.. any recommendations? And any idea what kind of bulb the purple one could be? (UV maybe?)

I am thinking about a mix of actinics and 10,000K bulbs but I'm not sure how many of each I should get... or if I should consider other bulbs instead.

This would be for fish, softies and a few LPS in a 75 gallon tank..

Can you give me some advice on this? And if anyone else has suggestions I would love to hear them as well...

Thanks!

I am clueless about NO T12's. I would guess than swapping one of those pink lamps for a blue would get you where you want to be. The Purple is likely an actinic. Coralife used to make a pretty good NO Actinic

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10129339#post10129339 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Cinderblock
What about for sps coral propagation? I am starting a tank that is 24w x 48l x 12h. Are the aquatinic solar flares with six T5's the one to go with? Or is the a fixture that is the one?

You don't need the Solar Flare on a 12" tall tank. I would go with the 48" Constellation, it has 7 lamps (a wider distribution pattern) and way more than enough intensity for your tank.